Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre (1665–1729) is often introduced as a ‘woman composer’, but as the music here shows, she transcends any category. Her work displays drama, intensity, and great artistic subtlety. No wonder that Évrard Titon du Tillet in his Parnasse français (1732) gave her a place on Mount Parnassus alongside Lully, Marais, Louis and François Couperin. A child prodigy, as a teenager she enjoyed a place as a harpsichordist in the court of Louis XIV. Later she composed works for public performance, including ballet, opera, and cantatas, as well as more private chamber music.
The Bach Players present all the music by Jacquet de la Guerre that was copied by her contemporary, the composer and theorist Sébastien de Brossard (1655–1730): four trio sonatas and two sonatas for violin and continuo. This is a first recording for these pieces as a set. Also here are four of the ‘unmeasured preludes’ for harpsichord that she published in her Pièces de clavecin (1687): apparently improvised and compelling works.

Recording & production

Presentation

In the digipack is a 28-page booklet with notes on the music by Graham Sadler, in English and German; also with photographs of the musicians in recording.

Reviews

There is a wonderful unity of purpose among the four players which extends to Silas Wollston’s sensitive playing on the harpsichord of quasi-improvisatory preludes and a tocade, leading directly into four of the sonatas. This is highly accomplished music, played with love and great attention to detail on this recording. Do listen to it.
Noel O’Regan, Early Music Review, 7 December 2018

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